Coin-controlled apparel hanger and checker.



1. w. TEAGUE COIN CONTROLLED APPAREL HANGER AND CHECKER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2:. i911.

Patented D80. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

JOSEPH W. TEAGUE, OF OCCIDEN'IAL, CALIFORNIA.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPAREL HANGER AND CHECKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Application filed November 21, 1917. Serial No. 203,178.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH W. TEAGUE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Occidental, Sonoma county, California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Apparel Hangers and Checkers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fixtures for the reception and support of coats, hats, umbrellas and wearing apparel, and more particularly to a structure wherein said articles may be conveniently hung and locked against theft or removal by persons other than the one in possession of the key.

In structures of this type little or no provision has heretofore been made to permit an adjustment and locking of the element upon which the hat, coat, or the like, is supported, in order to accommodate apparel of divers thicknesses, and it frequently happened that a coat or other wrap, of rela tively thin or thinly woven fabric, could easily be removed from the rack without unlocking the same. This was because of the fact that the clamp, grip, or other element employed to perform the locking function was capable of movement in either of two positionsfully opened or fully closed-and could not be locked or retained in any intermediate position. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a structure that will successfully and efiectively accomplish this function of interme diate adjustment and at the same time be capable of being locked in such adjusted positions. It is another object of my invention to provide a locking device from which the key may not be removed when the structure is unlocked and wherein the release of the mechanism is accomplished by the insertion of a coin. And a still further object is the provision of a checking appliance that is capable of being operated by coin of divers denominations, and the only change necessary to actuate the mechanism being to reduce the dimensions of the coin chute.

These and further objects I prefer to accomplish by the means hereinafter set forth and as more particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being now had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein,-

Figure 1 is a vertical front elevation of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental horizontal section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a fragmental section taken on line 1i, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of my device showing the coat hanger brackets in unlocked position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental detail, similar to Fig. 5, showing the parts in locked position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the coin slot plate.

By reference to the drawings it will be observed my structure preferably comprises a suitable wall plate 10, to the back of one of the end edges of which the leaves of hinges 11, 11, are secured, the opposite leaves being adapted to be secured to a wall or other convenient support. The opposite edge of plate 10 has a lug l2 projecting laterally therefrom and provided with a slot adapted to fit over a suitable staple 13, for the purpose of securing the device to the wall or support, by a lock 14.

Projecting from the front of plate 10 is a boXlike compartment 15, having an open top that is closed by a cover 16, hinged to the plate 10. An umbrella checker is secured to the plate 10 adjacent one edge of the box, and consists of a metal shank 17, having a U-shaped holder 18 upon its outer end, one of its arms being shorter than the other and adapted to aline with a stud 18 projecting horizontally out from a coat hanger bracket 19, that is secured to the adjacent end edge of the box cover 16, so that when the cover has been closed, an umbrella supported between the parallel arms of the holder 18 will be locked against removal. Above the umbrella holder, the plate 10 is provided with pivotal lugs 20, between which the sickle-shaped coacting member 21 of the garment holder is pivoted so that its outer movable end is disposed in alinement with and adjacent the upturned end of the hanger bracket 19.

The member 21 has its rear end 22 extended back of its pivot through an aperture 23 in the plate between lugs 20, where it is adapted to be engaged by the horizontally reciprocable locking bar 24:, said bar being guided between two or more pairs of guide lugs 25, and is limited in its movement by a recess 26 in its lower edge, in which one of the lugs 25 is positioned. This bar 2st has an inclined portion 27, on its upper edge adjacent the end 22 of the coacting coat hanger member 21, and is provided with a lateral pin 28, that projects through a hori zontally elongated slot 29 in the plate 10, so that when the bar is reciprocated by the operator moving the pin 28, the inclined surface 27, by its engagement with the end 22 of the coat hanger member 21, will raise or lower the latter to adjust it to divers thicknesses of cloth that may be supported upcnthe bracket 19.' A suitable lock 30, provided with the, usual retractable bolt 31, is positioned intermediate the ends of the bar 24, with its key-slot accessible from the exterior. of plate 10, and said bar is provided with a toothed or serrated recess 32 in its upper edge, to receive the bolt, which latter is likewise provided with serrations 33 upon its outer edge to fit between the serrations in the recess 32 of the bar. The lock is of the type that retains the key when the bolt has been retracted into the case and 1' have therefore positioned the same so that when the bar has been moved to its fullest extent to release the coacting coat hanger member 21, the recess 32 will be out of alinement with said bolt and the key will not be removable.

Additional bar locking devices, in the form of a coin-controlled mechanism, are provided at the end or the bar opposite the inclined portion 27. This preferably comprises a pair ofalternatelyoperable, pivoted pawls 34 and 35, that are adapted to respectively-engage recesses 36 and 37 in the upper and lower edges of bar 24. The pawl 34 has a. hook-shaped end that overbalances the portion of the pawl on the opposite side of its pivot, so-that it normally engages its recess 36' and prevents the reciprocation of the bar 24, until a coin that has been dropped in the slot 38' engages and depresses the lighter end of said pawl that extends into the coin slot, whereupon the person having placed his apparel in box 15 and upon the hanger, may slide the bar 24 until the in *clined surface '27 has wedged the coacting member 21 down tightly and firmly upon the hanger bracket 19. The key is then turned in the lock and thebolt 31 shot out into the recess 32 in the bar to engage the serrations and lock said bar against movement in either direction. The key may then be removed and the coin has now dropped upon theadjacent end of pawl 35 and rests in front or a detector window 39. When the bolt 31 has been retracted by operating the lock with the key, the operator may slide bar 24 in the opposite direction, thus releasing the coacting hanger member 21, permitting the removal of the articles on the hanger bracket 19, and the opening of the box 15, as well, and the release of the umbrella holder; and upon the completion of the reciprocation of bar 24, the upper end or pawl 35 will rise into its recess 37 to step further movement of the bar, and-upon so doing its opposite end will have moved out or the coin slot and permit the coin to fall into a suitable receptacle or box below the same.

In order to adjust the apparatusto receive coins or different denominations, I prerer to place an L-shaped coin slot plate 40 on plate 10 in such position that it fits the coin slot and permits the. movement er the coins therethrough, and to provide suchcoin slot along its vertical straight edge with a wide or a narrow rib 41 that fits into the slot and reduces or increases the width thereof, according to the denomination of the coin to be used.

T he structure herein disclosed is obviously capable of modification without departing from the principle involved, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to the precise structure described.

What I claim as new is 1. A hanger comprising an apparel supporting bracket, a pivoted member coacting therewith, an adjustable bar provided with an inclined portion adapted to engage and operate said member, and a lock'having a retractablebolt adapted to retain said bar in any of its adjusted positions.

A hanger comprising an apparelsupporting bracket, a pivoted member coacting therewith, an adjustable bar provided with an inclined portion adapted to engage and operate said member, said bar having a serrated recess in one ofits longitudinal edges, and a retractable lock bolt provided with serrations adapted to engagethe serrations on said bar and lock the latter in any or its adjusted positions. 7

3. A hanger comprising a suitable. plate,

an open receptacle upon the exterior there of, a hinged cover forsaid receptacle, an

apparel supporting bracket on said cover,

pivoted member coacting with said bracket, 1 an ad ustable bar adapted to retain said member in coaction with said bracket, and a device adapted to lock said bar inany of its adjusted positions whereby said cover ,is retained in position upon said receptacle.

4. A. hanger comprising a'suitable plate, an open receptacle upon the exterior thereof, a hinged cover for said receptacle, a U- shaped element projecting from said plate adjacent said receptacle the open portion of said element adapted to be closed by said cover, an apparel supporting bracket on said cover, a pivoted member coacting with said bracket, an adjustable bar adapted to retain said member in 'coaction with said bracket, and a device adapted to lock said bar in any of its adjusted positions whereby said cover adapted to Wedge said member, whereby said member is adapted to be adjusted to divers positions to, accommodate garments of divers thicknesses, and means for locking said bar in any of its adjusted positions.

6. A hanger comprising an apparel supporting bracket having an upturned outer portion, a pivoted hook-shaped member the free end whereof coacts with the upper end of said bracket, an adjustable reciprocable bar having an inclined surface adapted to engage and actuate said pivoted member and provided with a serrated recess in its upper longitudinal edge, a retractable lock bolt provided with a serrated lower edge adapted to engage the serrations on said bar whereby the latter is locked in any of its adjusted positions, and a vibratory pawl one end whereof normally engages said bar and locks the same and the opposite end wheregf is adapted to be depressed to release said 7. An apparel checking device comprising a back plate, a compartment provided upon one side thereof, a pivoted closure for said compartment, a garment holding bracket carried by said closure, a member pivoted on said plate and adapted to be brought into juxtaposition with said garment holding bracket for retaining garments thereon, a longitudinally movable bar adapted to secure said coacting member in adjusted position with respect to said garment supporting member, a lock for securing said bar in adjusted position, and a vibratory pawl one end whereof is adapted to secure said bar in inoperative position and the opposite end wherof is adapted to be depressed to release said bar.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 16th day of November, 1917.

JOSEPH 'W. TEAGUE. Witnesses:

E. K. LUNDY, Jr, H. SLACK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

